101 



October 24th, 1837. 

 Richard Owen, Esq., in the Chair. 



The Prince of Musignano read a short communication upon the 

 Long-tailed Trogon {Trog. resplendens of Gould). 



Through the exertions of M. Gonzales, Minister of the United 

 States of Central America, at Washington ; and Mr. Rebello, who 

 represented the Brazilian government in that city, the Prince suc- 

 ceeded in procuring some slight information respecting the above 

 species, the most beautiful of the Trogon family. 



The Quesalt, the native name of this species, is a rare bird, and 

 very shy in its habits; it is confined to restricted limits, being solely 

 found in a peculiar section of the mountainous district of Vera Paz 

 in the province of the same name, nov^ forming one of the live inde- 

 pendent states constituting the Federal republic of Central America. 

 A single instance is on record of its having been domesticated. It 

 builds its nest in the shape of a barrel or bag, open at both ends, by 

 Avhich means injury to its long tail-feathers is avoided. The Prince 

 stated that he had communicated the present notice of the history of 

 the Long-tailed Trogon to an American Journal some years since, 

 and that so long as the year 1826, he had proposed that the specific 

 name of Paradiseus should be given to the species. 



Mr. Gray exhibited a drawing of a new species of the genus Te- 

 traptui-us, in the British Museum, which had been obtained at the 

 Cape, and for which he proposed the specific name of Herschelii. 



Mr. Gray afterwards called the attention of the Meeting to some 

 pieces of chalk, which he had recently found in the cliffs at Brighton, 

 exhibiting perforations made by the Patella and Pholas, and pre- 

 senting appearances which he considered to have been produced in 

 the case of the latter genus by the rotatory action of the valves. 



The remarks of Mr. Gray elicited considerable discussion as to 

 the manner in which certain molluscous genera penetrate limestone 

 rocks and other hard substances, a phsenomenon which Mr. Owen 

 thought could not be explained upon the supposition of its being 

 exclusively caused by a rotation of the valves, but that it was chiefly 

 due to the mechanical influence of the currents of water produced by 

 the vibratile cilia of the animal, as noticed by Mr. Garner in a com- 

 munication made to the Society in 1835. 



Mr. Martin exhibited a new Bat from Fernando Po, belonging to 

 the genus Rhinolophus , which he characterised as 



Rhinolophus Landeri. Rhin. vellere molli, et pulchrt- castaneo- 



